Eternal life – Recovery In Christ Ministries

October 2, 2015

Walking in the Spirit

In the last post, we learned that life is a test. The Primary test is whether or not we will submit to Yahweh (God), and crown Him as Lord , by crowning Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ) as Lord of our life.

The most important thing that we can possibly do in life, is pass the Primary test. Passing the Primary test imparts life, and life eternal to us. The most tragic thing that can possibly happen to us, is for us to live our life for ourselves, and fail the Primary test. Failing the Primary test ensures that we remain dead, dead eternally.

It doesn’t make sense, to the natural mind, how we can live, and yet be dead, but nevertheless, this is the case when we fail the Primary test. Have you ever heard someone speak, and yet didn’t hear what they said? Have you ever looked at something without really seeing it? Sure you have. In the same way, you can live, without truly living.

Everyone of us is born, dead, dead in trespasses and sins, not our trespasses and sins, but Adam’s. We are all separated from God. We are all born onto the Serpent’s (the Devil’s) slave market, and he owns us. Hence, in our natural state, we serve Satan, and sin.

As we live in the world, in a body of flesh and blood, Satan shapes us. Satan equips us to do his bidding, and oppose Yahweh and His Kingdom. Satan uses the things of the world to satisfy the desires of our flesh, the desires of our eyes, and the pride of life. (1John 2:16)

As we walk (live) in the world, in a body of flesh and blood (in the flesh) satisfying the desires of the flesh, eyes and ego, we program (or train) our flesh, eyes, and ego. This programming is cognitive (in the mind), neurological (in the brain), and biological (in the body). Once we train ourselves, we operate on autopilot, and we are wide-open to the suggestions of our master, and we do his bidding.

In a sense, we are zombies. We are alive cognitively, neurologically, and biologically, but we are dead to God, and His insight and leading. We are without God, and without hope in the world. A sad state.

Once we pass the Primary test, this all changes. God unites Himself with our human spirit, and becomes one with our human spirit. Since, God is love, light, and life, we begin to live and embrace the light, and love one another. We are now truly alive forever.

Now we enter into the Secondary test.

The Secondary Test

The blood of Messiah has paid our sin debt, and ransomed us off of the Serpent’s slave market, and His Spirit has made us alive forever! The issue of Heaven and Hell is settled. We can rest assured that God is with us, and He will never leave or forsake us! (Hebrews 13:5)

Now we begin the Secondary test. This is a test to see how aggressively we will live out God’s purpose for our life. What purpose? Well, God has assigned each of us a task in His Kingdom, and foreordained some good works for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10) God tells us to take off the old man, and put on the new man, who He created in His own image, and likeness, in Christ Jesus. (Col 3:10)

So, the Secondary test is to live out God’s purpose for our lives, and conform ourselves to the image of Christ Jesus. There are rewards for passing this test, which are proportional to our performance. Our performance on this test determines our eternal rewards, and the degree to which we enjoy our salvation, here in this world.

It is very important to always keep in mind that we are striving to fulfill our purpose, and do good works, and conform to Yeshua’s image, in order to enjoy our salvation, and earn eternal rewards, not to earn our salvation, or even keep it. Salvation is a free gift that Yahweh gives us, and He will never take it back. (Rom 5:15, 11:29)

This may seem like a trivial point, but it is not. It is easy to forget that we are doing good works because of who we are, and not to become, who we are. That is, we do good works because God has saved us, not to get Him to save us or let us keep our salvation.

Some people conflate the concepts of salvation, and sanctification, and the Scriptures that describes these two distinct concepts. As they do, they confuse themselves, and then confuse others. These people teach others that “eternal life” is not eternal, and that if we do not measure up to God’s expectations, He will reject us.

This is the same error the Jews made in the “Old Testament”. Yahweh cut an unconditional unilateral covenant with Abraham, which was the covenant of redemption. The covenant of redemption was based on faith, and it brought salvation. Later, Yahweh cut a covenant through Moses, which was the covenant of sanctification. The covenant of sanctification was a conditional, bilateral covenant that related to blessings, and the enjoyment of salvation.

An “old testament” person was saved by believing Yahweh’s promises, and that person enjoyed the blessings of his salvation by doing good works, and conforming to Yahweh’s image (keeping the law). In time, however, the Jews conflated theses two covenants, and began to teach that salvation came through good works. This is what Yeshua came to demolish, He did not come to demolish the law.

The flesh loves to feel like it has earned salvation or somehow merits it (deserves to keep it). There is no greater boost to the ego! This is a constant danger that we must be on guard against, because it will steal your peace, energize the flesh, and destroy your witness.

In the next post, we will talk about how to score high on the Secondary test. That is, we will talk about how to keep the flesh under control, so we can enjoy our salvation, and accumulate eternal rewards. So, in the next post, we will talk about walking in the Spirit.

February 23, 2015

Full Disclosure (Part 5 of 5)

If, after living 70 years in belief, in a moment of weakness, right before my death, my feeble mind questions the existence of Yahweh, do I lose the life of Yahweh, and reenter the kingdom of darkness, and take my place in Hell to await my formal sentencing at the Great White Throne, and be thrown into the Lake of Fire to be tormented day and night forever? Wow, that doesn’t sound like Yahweh is Love! Yahweh is Love, and perfect Love casts out fear…. there is no fear in Love. (1John 4)

In Hebrews 6, verses 4-10, the author of Hebrews, says that it would be impossible to renew a person again to repentance, if he should fall away from the faith, because Christ would have to be crucified again. See, true repentance of the heart is a response to us hearing the Gospel of how Christ was crucified for our sins so that we could live with Yahweh. In order for someone, who has sincerely repented unto eternal life with his heart, to repent unto eternal life again would require Christ to be crucified again. Hebrews, however, states over and over again that Christ was crucified one time, and one time only for our sins.

The author of Hebrews is using a philosophical technique known as a reduction to absurdity to make a point. From a false assumption he deduces absurd conclusions, in order to let us know that it is not possible to fall away, because we would be invalidating the crucifixion of Christ, and making it necessary for Him to be crucified again in order to renew us to repentance, which would put Him to an open shame.

Hence, the Bible itself states explicitly that it is not possible for someone who has become a son of Yahweh with His life (eternal life) to fall away (lose eternal life) and become a child of the Devil once more.

When a scripture states something explicitly, then all the other scriptures must line up with it. So, if we think some other scriptures say that it is possible for us to lose the life of Yahweh after we become His son, then we had better rethink things, and bring our understanding in alignment with what Yahweh has stated explicitly.

As far as questioning Yahweh’s existence moments before we die, the author of Hebrews says in verse 10 of that same chapter, “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”

Yahweh knows that we are dust, and that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Consequently, Yahweh is not going to take our reward away for questioning His existence in a dark moment.

Look at Peter. Peter denied Yeshua three times in front of others. Did Peter fall away so that it was impossible to renew him again unto repentance? No, after Yeshua was resurrected, He went looking for Peter, and embraced him, and assured him that he was ok. Peter had truly repented unto eternal life so, Yeshua kept him until the end.

Judas is another story. Judas fell away, because he had never repented unto eternal life. Judas knew who Yeshua was, and he even followed him, but he never had a change of heart that laid his plans aside. This is why John 17:3 says that Judas was a son of perdition (Hell).

In sum: According to the Scriptures, a person, who has the life of Yahweh in him, and therefore eternal life as His son, can not fall away and lose the life of Yahweh, and eternal life, and lose his son-ship.

So what about the Scriptures that appear to say we can lose eternal life, or that we must endure until the end in order to obtain it?

Here is one such verse. In 1Corinthians 15, verse 2, Paul says, speaking of the Gospel, “By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.”

What does this mean in light of our other scriptures that state explicitly that we cannot lose eternal life, and we have it when we repent?

Paul is simply saying what James says. Namely that we can believe in vain if our belief is not sincere and our repentance genuine. In other words, if we cognitively assent to the fact that Yeshua is the Messiah, and exert effort to follow Him, for only a short while, then this proves that our belief was one-dimensional, and our “repentance” was artificial, being based on fear or human sorrow, not Godly sorrow for our sin that placed Yeshua on the execution stake to die a horrible death for us.

In 1 John 2, verse 19, John provides some helpful insight. In this verse John tells us that the people, who fall away, never were really in the faith, and they fell away to show us they were not in the faith.

Here is another such verse. In Galatians 5, verse 4, Paul says, “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.”

What exactly is Paul trying to communicate to us in this verse?

If we go back to Galatians 3:3, we can see what Paul is saying. Paul asked them why they were so foolish to think they could begin in the Spirit, and perfect themselves in the flesh. To begin in the Spirit means that the Spirit transformed them by giving them Yahweh’s life, making them His sons. In other words, Yahweh justified them (declared them not guilty) thereby saving them from His wrath. Then, they sought to sanctify themselves through the works prescribed by the Law of Moses.

This is what Paul means when he says that they have fallen from grace. The liberty and freedom that comes from grace is not active in their lives, because they have chosen to relate to Yahweh through the law. They have stifled their own spiritual growth, and become a slave to the whole law to keep it, rather than becoming the Holy Spirit’s servant. Essentially, they are already justified, but still they are trying to justify themselves before Yahweh by keeping the law to sanctify themselves.

The Galatians had fallen into the trap that the religious rulers in Jerusalem had set for them. The religious rulers in Jerusalem taught that if people kept the law and sanctified themselves, then Yahweh would accept them (justify them). They had reversed Yahweh’s plan, and His covenants. They placed the Mosaic covenant before the Abrahamic covenant and perverted both of them, making them to no effect. Now, they had tricked the Galatians into doing the same with Yeshua.

The Galatians did not lose their salvation, but they did not experience the blessings of their salvation. This is what Paul is talking about.

There are several other Scriptures that when read on a superficial level outside of the context set by Yahweh’s explicit statements in other Scriptures, seem to indicate that we can lose our salvation. When we use the global context of Scripture, however, we discover that this is simply not true. Yahweh has disclosed the terms and conditions of salvation plainly. And we either believe Him or make Him to be a liar.

As far as Yeshua being both fully God, and fully human, there is no reason why ontologically He could not be both at the same time. We may have trouble processing this truth; nevertheless, there is nothing logically inconsistent about this.

The same thing goes for the Father, Son and Holy Spirit being of one essence, and sharing the life of God. We may not fully understand this truth; nevertheless, there is nothing logically inconsistent about it.

This cannot be said about the issue at hand, however.

Yahweh cannot say that He keeps us in faith (salvation) by the power of His Spirit, and that it is possible for us to lose our faith (salvation). These statements are mutually exclusive. Both cannot be true at the same time. Either Yahweh keeps us and prevents us from falling, or He doesn’t. To think that both statements could be true would make Yahweh an unpredictable schizophrenic, who cannot be trusted.

Yahweh can be trusted; He is not double minded. Yahweh said in many places that He keeps us, so that we will not fall, and I believe Him!

Yahweh has given us a full disclosure of the terms and conditions of salvation………….and I dare not call Him a liar to His Face.

So, when the Serpent whispers in your ear, and says, “Has Yahweh really said that He will keep you from falling?” Stand firm in Yahweh’s promise.

February 22, 2015

Full Disclosure (Part 4)

In 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 23-24, Paul says, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly: and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful he that calleth you, who also will do it.”

In these verses, in essence, Paul says that Yahweh is faithful to ensure that we are blameless in the end by sanctifying our spirit, soul and body.

In 1 Peter 1, verses 4-5, Peter says, “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

In this verse, Peter says that our reward cannot be corrupted or defiled, and it will not fade away because the Holy Spirit keeps us in the faith unto salvation.

In 1 John 5, verses 10-13, John says, “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life: and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written to you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that e may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

This verse should give us pause. It says that if we really believe on Yeshua, His Spirit is in us as a witness, and since Yeshua has eternal life dwelling within Him, we have eternal life also. Here is what should give us pause: If we do not believe this, we portray Yahweh as a liar.

To say that we believe in Yeshua, but do not have eternal life (have lost it), is to call Yahweh a liar. So, do we want to say that we can lose our salvation, that is, do we want to say that we can lose eternal life?

That brings us to question number two, which is what is eternal life?

The Greek word, “Aionious” (Strong’s #166) is translated into the English word, “eternal”. The word means, time in its duration, that is, constant, abiding, eternal. Having nether beginning or end. Eternal life describes the life of Yahweh because His life has no beginning or end.

The Greek word, “Zoe” is translated into the English word, “life”. It means, an animated, and functional spirit, and soul with an identity.

So, the words, “eternal life” mean, that our spirit and soul will survive the death of our body to live forever in the life of Yahweh.

More to the point: Yeshua defined eternal life in John 17:3. Yeshua said, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.”

Yeshua said that He and Yahweh are one. And Yahweh sent Him, and if we have seen Him, we have seen Yahweh. Yeshua also said if we receive Him, we receive Yahweh. So, when we believe on Yeshua, and His Spirit becomes one with our human spirit, we become one with Yahweh. We become Yahweh’s son, and He says that He will never leave us or forsake us, and that nothing can pluck us out of His hand.

Since Yahweh and I are one, His life is now my life. This is exactly what makes me His son. And since I have the life of Yahweh, my Father, I have eternal life, like Him. If we do not believe this we make Yahweh a liar.

To say that I am a son of Yahweh is not a play on language or a legal statement of some future reality. No, it is an ontological state that I occupy within our current reality.

With this in mind, I ask how would it be possible to become the old creature that I was before I became a new creature with the life of Yahweh? Yahweh’s life can never end, and if my life is His life, how can my life end? Yahweh tells me He has given me eternal life, well, if this “eternal life” ends, then it never was eternal life, and Yahweh is a liar.

If I fall from grace because I do not act right, or do enough good works, how do I regain grace, and become a son of Yahweh again? How right do I need to act? How many good works must I do?